Arbuthnot Latham is expanding its wealth management actvities with several new hires, including two from Coutts, another private bank in London.

Liz Bottomley joins the UK bank as head of private banking. Bottomley brings more than 25 years’ experience in private banking and wealth management to the role, most recently at Coutts, where she was senior manager/client partner in the international private banking division.

Kieran McDonnell joins Arbuthnot in London as senior chartered financial planner, having previously worked as a senior financial planning specialist at Coutts. According to the bank, McDonnell has been hired to help build a wealth planning unit based around staff with a high level of wealth planning experience.

Linda Amili Clack joins the bank from a family office specialising in the Middle East. Clack has been appointed to the new position of international banking director – head of Middle East private banking. She has more than 30 years’ experience in private banking and family offices, most recently as head of the Mubarakia Family Office, where her responsibilities included formulating legal, audit, accounting and brokerage relationships.

Arbuthnot Latham chief executive James Fleming says the hires followed a review of the structure of the team after he took charge at the bank in March of this year. Fleming also previously worked at Coutts, as head of international private banking.

“I felt it appropriate to make these appointments as soon as possible, since they will provide us with a more cohesive and integrated team that will be able to deliver extra firepower when speaking with clients and potential clients,” says Fleming.

Arbuthnot plans to make further senior appointments over the coming months, he adds.

The Arbuthnot Latham private banking operation has an open architecture structure and does not manufacture investment products but provides the ‘best of breed’ across the market, says Fleming.

In relation to structured products issued by Arbuthnot subsidiary Gilliat, Fleming says the division “goes from strength to strength in building its business to business market in the independent financial adviser field… and we hope to build on that success.”